Last year, voters made it clear to our State Legislature that they expect transparency from the body that governs our everyday lives. By passing Proposition 54 by an overwhelming majority, voters created a constitutional requirement that bills passing through the California Legislature must be in print for at least 72 hours before the final vote. A reasonable person might assume that this was merely a technical change to the state Constitution. After all, legislators have nine months to read, analyze, consider and vote on legislation every year – from January, when bills start to be filed, through to the end of session in September.
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Success rate of 70% on the Governor’s Desk - Sunday was the deadline for Governor Jerry Brown to act on bills passed by the Legislature this year. The Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) was pleased that 70 percent of the bills VICA tracked on the Governor’s desk were successful, including bills that VICA supported which were signed and VICA-opposed bills which were vetoed.
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Last year, Gov. Brown issued California’s 75 Percent Initiative to reduce the state’s reliance on landfills by 2020. The state mandate has required Los Angeles to develop new strategies and procedures that transform the way trash is picked up at businesses and large residential buildings throughout the city.
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You may be sick of me discussing transportation in the Valley, but please bear with me for a few more minutes. Reducing traffic and improving our transit infrastructure are worth it, and the story here is about playing politics instead of actually improving our lives.
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The Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) welcomes today’s announcement from the Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) regarding proposed improvements to the Orange Line bus rapid transit system. Metro is proposing to install more than 30 railroad-style crossing gates along the bus route, which runs from Chatsworth to North Hollywood, as well as build a one-mile bridge from Van Nuys to Sepulveda Boulevard.
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omorrow morning, Governor Jerry Brown will sign a package bills aimed at addressing the housing crisis in California. The Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) has strongly supported action to improve the supply and affordability of housing. VICA President Stuart Waldman said: “For decades, developers have faced abuse of environmental laws and convoluted local planning processes that have prevented them from building the homes this state desperately needs. We can no longer ignore the crisis this has created, and the shortage of homes for working families is damaging our economy. This package of bills is the right step forward to begin addressing the crisis."
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As California legislators voted on hundreds of bills during the last week of the legislative session this year, the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) successfully advocated on a number of priority bills for the business community. VICA was pleased that 74 percent of the bills VICA advocated on in the Legislature were successful.
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When Measure M passed last year with its billions of dollars for public transit in Los Angeles, I was thrilled. VICA worked hard to pass the ballot measure, and every single one of the projects we identified as critical for the San Fernando Valley was included on Metro’s expenditure plan. But already, I want more for the Valley.
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